Illinois freshmen aim to light competitive fire

Richmond and Leonard believe they can provide spark last season's Illini lacked

October 13, 2010|By Chris Hine, Tribune reporter

CHAMPAIGN — As Illinois freshmen Jereme Richmond and Meyers Leonard watched the Illini last season, they weren't totally satisfied with what they saw.

The two watched from the outside while the Illini had a tumultuous season that ultimately ended short of the NCAA tournament.

Their remedy? Step up competition in offseason workouts and practices to make everyone on the team earn playing time. They, along with fellow freshman Crandall Head, have done just that, according to coach Bruce Weber.

"We have competition and that will start (officially Friday) in practice," Weber said. "I'm not sure last year some of the guys really felt threatened on a daily basis in practice. Now they have a little bit of edge."

Leonard, a 7-0 center, constantly pushes 7-1 senior Mike Tisdale each day. This year, his classmates and the NCAA tournament snub have turned the culture of offseason workouts and practices.

"Last year I would just look and say, 'What are these guys doing?' " Leonard said. "Half of them seemed like they didn't care and the other half that did care, sometimes the other guys would rub off on them and they'd say, 'Man, forget this.' "

Richmond noticed much of the same. The attitude of apathy he and Leonard sensed last year is gone, replaced by one of hunger — hunger for playing time and hunger for respect as a team.

"I'm seeing a different sense of urgency this year," Richmond said. "Last year, I came and it wasn't really like they were that competitive. You had guys who would dominate. … But this year, everyone's competing across the board."

Weber said he wouldn't limit his bench this season. If up to 10 guys earned minutes and could contribute, then 10 guys would play. Senior point guard Demetri McCamey is all but assured 30-to-35 minutes per game, but the competition at backup point guard, shooting guard and small forward should be intense.

There's sophomore Brandon Paul, who showed flashes of potential, and sophomore D.J. Richardson, who was Illinois' best one-on-one defender. Senior Bill Cole started and provided steady play throughout the year, redshirt freshman Joseph Bertrand is returning from injury, while talented newcomers Head and Richmond bring their athleticism.

That's not such a bad thing, Richardson said.

"We had guys last year who probably didn't care about being here," Richardson said. "But this year, we have a team full of players competing just to be out there on the court."

To that end, there's no shortage of motivational angles for Weber to employ throughout the season.

"We probably made bigger strides this summer than we have in a lot of summers," Weber said. "There's still a long way to go. … It's kind of a funny mix of players but I hope it ends up being a good formula for success."